My husband was put on Avodart in April, and I have noticed a steady decline since May. Yesterday I went online and saw that it's anticholinergic, which I also think Aricept is, and wondered if that's what's causing the decline. I called the pharmacist at our mail-order company and she said there's no problem using both drugs simultaneously; I also emailed the memory center where my husband is treated. Just received the message--Avodart can cause cognitive decline.
I contacted the urologist who prescribed it and he said to take DH off the Avodart for 3 to 4 weeks and see what happens. Who knows how many other patients are taking this combo?
Jules, you were posting about Avodart around May. What has your experience been?
Let me say, without getting too graphic, that Avodart and its generic equivalents cause a lot more than cognitive decline. Oh, it shrinks the prostate and helps them be able to hold their urine, but it destroys libido, and every type of sexual function that males have. Cognitive decline? Don't know, but if he's been on it for a long time, it could just be the normal declining course of the disease.
Joan--This was a rapid decline starting about 1 month after he had been on it. I did attribute it to the disease until this week, when I thought about the timing. The information I was given by the pharmacist was wrong--it can cause cognitive decline in some with dementia. They also shouldn't be given any drugs containing Benedryl, it is also an anticholinergic and will cause problems. Benedryl is a cheap ingredient and is used in many cold and allergy meds under it's pharmaceutical name, which I can't remember at the moment. I have a friend who does medical coding for long term facilities, and she says the use of Avodart has been discontinued in all of them due to the cognitive issues. I stopped giving it to my husband and will see if he bounces back when it's out of his system.
MarilyninMD - I hope there is some recovery. Some are more sensitive than others and will react almost immediately. It was like when the doctor gave my hb a statin drug. The memory loss started almost immediately and by day three could not remember what he had done all day or been with. The doctor refused to believe it was the drug even though within a couple days he was back to 'normal'. I hope Dr Graveline keeps touting the message that statin drugs are not as safe as they want us to believe. The link to his story is: http://www.spacedoc.net/lipitor_thief_of_memory.html
My husband is on Proscar, which is a drug in the same class as Avodart. But I thought they blocked the action of testosterone rather than being anticholinergics like Darifenacin (ENABLEX), Hyoscyamine (ANASPAZ, LEVBID, LEVSIN), Oxybutynin (DITROPAN), Solifenacin (VESICARE), and Tolterodine (DETROL). My husband's Lewy Body Dementia has been progressing very slowly and he went on the Proscar after diagnosis, so I don't think it has caused decline in him.
DH likes the fact that it stopped his hair loss. I actually like the fact that it took away his sexuality--I was molested by a grandfather in his 90s when I was a child. DH is committed to the medication because he doesn't want another surgery--the first TURP didn't remove enough tissue and left scar tissue they now want to remove with a second surgery. I hope avoiding surgery doesn't cause other problems later.